SPECTOR® Club - Part 60

[iceboxbass]

Now that I seem to have sorted it out I thought I would put it up here, answered a Craigslist ad for spector bass, no info, no price, after speaking with the owner I found out he was the original owner of an 87 ns2a, bass was in rough shape with what appeared to be a neck twist, ended up getting it for $100, contacted Sam with some pic and his observations were the bass badly needed a setup, truss rod works fine, I loosened it, removed the old strings and just let it hang for a couple of weeks, gave it a good cleaning and followed Sams instructions for setting it up and seem to have a pretty good playing bass, action is not too bad, gotta keep tweaking it, even came with a hsc,, sorry for the long post, sometimes there are deals out there.

Congratulations! That was a fantastic snag!

 

[iceboxbass]

I was going to pick that one up but needed the funds for my move

Where are you moving to Len?

 

[johnsonabq]

After testing it for a while, I really need to change the electronics, because I'm really into 3 band preamps, and I don't really like having two pickup volumes...

If you have any recommendations in terms of preamps, btw... I'd be happy to read your suggestions !

Take care,

Paul

Go for the Aguilar OBP-3. I've got it in my Euro.
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[iceboxbass]

Any room for another guy in here ?

I just got an NS-JH6 !

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Where do I get my spector club member number ?

SaWeet!!! Congratulations! Welcome to our family!

 

[iceboxbass]

Hi Spector Club,

After an almost 9 month wait my new NS-2 showed up today. It was definitely worth the wait.

Here are the specs:

NS-2 #831
Matte Bahama Blue finish
Birdseye Maple fingerboard
Black Mother of Pearl Inlays
Black Hardware

Congratulations on an awesome NS-2! Wow!

 

[Worldeeeter]

there's a few components that have changed over time due to going obsolete, the 9v is in its 4th or 5th config I believe. Changes have been minor but damn if Stu and Haz didn't hit it one the head long ago. genius!

That circuit could be assembled on a board the size of a Wheat Thin these days; however, while the newer, tiny components supposedly perform the same function, I somehow doubt we would get the classic US9V sound from it.
The big problem is that finding those old components and assembling the circuit will continue to get more expensive and take longer, as they get more rare.

 

[iceboxbass]

Well I am getting ready to head out for a couple shows this weekend. The CRFM & Euro are still my go to basses. We have some things in the works and there will be some touring coming up, hopefully we can make it out east by the end of the year.

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On a side note, I did some tweaking..the Jade CRFM is now running the TP at 80%. the Euroburst is running the TP at 60% bypassing the volume pot and only running the P pickup. I call it "ode to Iceboxbass" cause he is always talking about wanting a Spector "P" bass..

Oh man! Looking beautiful...especially the blue burst! Thanks Donny! I feel honored. I'm heavily leaning toward turning my NS-2000/5 into a P/P pickups.

 

[Torn Bassist]

I had a conversation with PJ Rubal this morning about Redwood Burl.

I got a really nice email from Stuart complimenting me on the composite photo of my Water Cured Redwood NS-4.

Sam Cerami and anyone else with one of those rare models made with the WCR can attest that really nothing quite shows off how amazing the grain is.

But I really gave it my best college effort. And I was really pleased that Stuart was very happy with the end result.

This led to a conversation with PJ about the Water Cured Redwood models and how much I (as a personal preference) love that wood. It's the most amazing, beautiful, tonal wood I've ever seen or heard.

And yes, more composite Spector photos are in the works.

I shot a Holoflash Rex model recently and did this same thing. Holoflash is another finish that's nearly impossible to photograph and show how cool it is.

That is the way to shoot a Spector as it turned out fantastic, the grain/pattern was in a persons face my friend...great job!

 

[Worldeeeter]

Hi Spector Club,

After an almost 9 month wait my new NS-2 showed up today. It was definitely worth the wait.

Here are the specs:

NS-2 #831
Matte Bahama Blue finish
Birdseye Maple fingerboard
Black Mother of Pearl Inlays
Black Hardware

SOOOOOOOOO cool!
This is great; I have a Bahama blue NS-4 with BEM fretboard and BMOP inlays on order; due to be ready in Aug/Sep. the dark inlays with the blue looked good in my mind's eye; now I know they look great!

 

[iceboxbass]

Its only a matter of time, I really want to tour the east coast....

Donny if you're anywhere close to the states south of Michigan, I'll drive out of the state to see ya! Chicago? Columbus? Cleveland? Of course, Detroit? Indianapolis?

 

[Torn Bassist]

Its only a matter of time, I really want to tour the east coast....

Make a stop in Missouri along the way East and I'll catch a show!

 

[brotherbassj]

Finally finished with paint removal. I did some of it, but I had my boy Chris Bavaria do the hard parts. The horns and the curves and contours. I was afraid to alter the shape of the bass. For this picture, we wet the wood to highlight the grain. As you can see, there is a lot going on there. Flame, figuring, light and dark areas. I like it a lot. It's a CRFM I bought from my good buddy Jeffplaysbass. The neck is beyond Kramer era thin. It was already thin and it was shaved even more. It has the graphite rods in it, so it should remain fairly stable. I use regular gauge strings tuned standard most of the time, so the neck moving shouldn't be an issue. Time will tell. Still up in the air about what color, if any. This will definitely be a matte finish. That much I do know. I hope Coop doesn't mind me posting a picture of his Kramer NS-2 which is also in the process of getting a refin. His has some really unique wood. It's beautiful. Here is mine. The picture below is Coop's.

Ho, both bodies look great, oil finish would be cool......have you thought about tinted oil?

 

[iceboxbass]

WOW! Sick grain! I love it when you get quilting and flame together.

I'm sorry if I missed you posting this before... but what color are you going to stain it?

And are those wings solid?

This is one of the most awesome looking Forte-4 basses I've ever photographed and it has a similar sort of figuring...

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Wow! That Forte is amazing! Can you say who owns that one?

 

[marchone]

This is one of the most awesome looking Forte-4 basses I've ever photographed and it has a similar sort of figuring...

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That's the best Forte-4 photo I've seen yet.

 

[iceboxbass]

I agree, that blue is just SICK ! I love it !



The others have answered, so let's just copy their right guess!



AND WE HAVE A WINNER !



I have to do more, but the weather is really bad these days in Europe... Hope I'll be able to do some soon enough...



Thanks for explaining the process! I'll do this when I reach home !

And thanks for the congrats as well, guys !

I was really lucky to get this bass, since the seller (in France) didn't answer to most people who requested his attention regarding his bass, but he answered to me when he saw that I already had a Modulus Q6 Turbo, and that I was looking for a complementary bass... A few days later, I received the Spector case... and DAMN ! this bass is beautiful and awesome !

After testing it for a while, I really need to change the electronics, because I'm really into 3 band preamps, and I don't really like having two pickup volumes...

If you have any recommendations in terms of preamps, btw... I'd be happy to read your suggestions !

Take care,

Paul

Paul, as for a 3 band in your Spector NS-2, I highly recommend installing the Aguilar OBP-3. Run it at 18V. You'll have a tonal palette like none other and you'll be amazed. I ran it in my former Forte 5 and recorded with it. If I could've gotten it in my now Spector Coda 5XL I would've, but the OBP 2 does a great tonal job as well, just no mids adjustment, which I do like having. The OBP 3 can go from clear to MoTown smooth and punchy to growly. My 2cents

 

[Nuf]

Hey guys,

I've thought about the OBP-3, but I was wondering if each knob would be usable on it's full course... Indeed, I have an OBP-3 on my modulus, but since the sound level of the pickups is quite low, there's no problem using them that way...

But since the Spector is some kind of wild best, I wonder if it's possible to use it that way or if I should try using something more "gentle", like a Glockenklang preamp...

 

[brotherbassj]

Paul, as for a 3 band in your Spector NS-2, I highly recommend installing the Aguilar OBP-3. Run it at 18V. You'll have a tonal palette like none other and you'll be amazed. I ran it in my former Forte 5 and recorded with it. If I could've gotten it in my now Spector Coda 5XL I would've, but the OBP 2 does a great tonal job as well, just no mids adjustment, which I do like having. The OBP 3 can go from clear to MoTown smooth and punchy to growly. My 2cents

Hey guys,

I've thought about the OBP-3, but I was wondering if each knob would be usable on it's full course... Indeed, I have an OBP-3 on my modulus, but since the sound level of the pickups is quite low, there's no problem using them that way...

But since the Spector is some kind of wild best, I wonder if it's possible to use it that way or if I should try using something more "gentle", like a Glockenklang preamp...

See the above.........obp-3 in a Forte 5.......doesn't get much better..........the OBP-3 is an excellent preamp. Like Lee said in another discussion, Stewart brings Aguilar stuff to demo his basses, uses the obp-2 and obp-3 in his basses he makes for us, and has had a long standing relationship with them. You can't go worng installing an aggie pre in a Spector, if that is what you want........just my opinion.

 

[5string_phunk]

See the above.........obp-3 in a Forte 5.......doesn't get much better..........the OBP-3 is an excellent preamp. Like Lee said in another discussion, Stewart brings Aguilar stuff to demo his basses, uses the obp-2 and obp-3 in his basses he makes for us, and has had a long standing relationship with them. You can't go worng installing an aggie pre in a Spector, if that is what you want........just my opinion.

^ Truth! ^

 

[deadp0ol]

I want one !

Absolutely gorgeous! Have fun!!

WOW!!!!!

This is beautiful.
And I really like the Black MOP inlays with this.

Here's another one finished in the same batch as yours... Number 818...

#818 looks awesome!

Congrats to the two of you with two new USA Spectors!

Congrats on the new Spectors dudes!!!

Wow. Great day in the Spector club. Beautiful new basses, guys, big congrats to you both.

Unreal. That blue is fantastic, esp when paired up with a BEM neck. I can't wait to check out those pics on a real non-iPhone screen. Congrats!

Congratulations on an awesome NS-2! Wow!

SOOOOOOOOO cool!
This is great; I have a Bahama blue NS-4 with BEM fretboard and BMOP inlays on order; due to be ready in Aug/Sep. the dark inlays with the blue looked good in my mind's eye; now I know they look great!

Worldeeeter, can't wait to see your NS-4. You definitely won't be disappointed.

Thanks everyone for the congrats.

I have some more pics I can post if anyone wants to see them. Didn't want to clog up the thread with my first post.

 

[Ohrwyrm]

How was the bypass performed, direct to pickups?

I set up a classic passive tone circuit, two volumes, one tone pot.
Worked like a charm.
I think I'll do some more measurements with the pickups attached, maybe it's some kind of interaction between those and the preamp.